Promotional Information

A thrilling new account of the tragic life and troubled times of Henry VI, who inherited the crowns of both England and France and lost both, in the course of a life blighted by mental illness and bloody civil war.

About the Author

Lauren Johnson is a historian and costumed interpreter with a first-class degree from Oxford University. She is the author of a novel, The Arrow of Sherwood (2013) and So Great a Prince (2016), a study of the accession of King Henry VIII. www.lauren-johnson.com

Reviews

Johnson is to be commended for doing something different, putting [Henry VI] back where he belongs. It is Henry's character, scrupulously and sensitively drawn by Johnson, that did most to shape the extraordinary and dramatic events of his reign
*The Times*

[Lauren Johnson's] intention is to rediscover the man behind the myths and she has succeeded. Johnson has written a long, scrupulously researched book, but an eminently readable one
*New Statesman*

A lively telling of a hapless reign
*Strong Words*

Enthrallingly told... [Lauren Johnson] gives us a convincing picture of Henry, a gentle man unsuited to his position, and of his bloody and brutal times... The Shadow King is a scholarly work aimed at the common reader - and the common reader is richly rewarded'
*Wall Street Journal*

This evocative life of Henry VI shows how betrayal and defeat drove him out of his wits... An involving account of a still undersung saga'
*Daily Telegraph*

Unanimously impressed... Praised its courage in portraying a less obvious protagonist than bigger and bloodier characters'
*The Oldie*

A vivid, unusual story, and Johnson tells it well
*Daily Telegraph*